ERMELO, Netherlands (Sept. 22, 2018) Seventy-four years ago this week, more than 41,000 Allied paratroopers dropped in to the Netherlands as part of the largest aerial assault in history, Operation Market Garden. Their goal was to take nine bridges over three rivers, securing a strong access point into Nazi Germany from the north. After capturing six bridges between Eindhoven and Nijmegen, Nazi forces held the bridge over the Waal River. Operation Market Garden was ultimately a failure for the Allies, resulting in the loss of nearly 17,000 Allied soldiers and many thousands of Germans.

Photo 1 of 4: ERMELO, Netherlands (Sept. 22, 2018) Airborne Soldiers parachute into the Houtdorperveld Drop Zone during exercise Falcon Leap as part of the 74th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. This year’s commemoration brought together approximately 750 paratroopers from seven different countries for a series of airborne operations and events to commemorate the largest airborne operation in history. To this day, generations of Dutch remember the bravery and sacrifice of more than 41,600 troops from the US, UK and Poland who together constituted the Allied Airborne Army. U.S. Army Europe photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Patrick Ian Crimmins (Released) Download full-resolution version

4 photos: Market Garden 74 Falcon Leap

Photo 2 of 4: ERMELO, Netherlands (Sept. 22, 2018) Two Dutch children watch as Airborne Soldiers land at the Houtdorperveld Drop Zone during exercise Falcon Leap as part of the 74th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. This year’s commemoration brought together approximately 750 paratroopers from seven different countries for a series of airborne operations and events to commemorate the largest airborne operation in history. To this day, generations of Dutch remember the bravery and sacrifice of more than 41,600 troops from the US, UK and Poland who together constituted the Allied Airborne Army. U.S. Army Europe photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Patrick Ian Crimmins (Released) Download full-resolution version

4 photos: Market Garden 74 Falcon Leap

Photo 3 of 4: ERMELO, Netherlands (Sept. 22, 2018) Dutch citizens watch as airborne Soldiers parachute into Houtdorperveld Drop Zone during exercise Falcon Leap as part of the 74th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. This year’s commemoration brought together approximately 750 paratroopers from seven different countries for a series of airborne operations and events to commemorate the largest airborne operation in history. To this day, generations of Dutch remember the bravery and sacrifice of more than 41,600 troops from the US, UK and Poland who together constituted the Allied Airborne Army. U.S. Army Europe photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Patrick Ian Crimmins (Released) Download full-resolution version

4 photos: Market Garden 74 Falcon Leap

Photo 4 of 4: ERMELO, Netherlands (Sept. 22, 2018) Dutch citizens watch as airborne Soldiers parachute into Houtdorperveld Drop Zone during exercise Falcon Leap as part of the 74th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. This year’s commemoration brought together approximately 750 paratroopers from seven different countries for a series of airborne operations and events to commemorate the largest airborne operation in history. To this day, generations of Dutch remember the bravery and sacrifice of more than 41,600 troops from the US, UK and Poland who together constituted the Allied Airborne Army. U.S. Army Europe photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Patrick Ian Crimmins (Released) Download full-resolution version

ERMELO, Netherlands - The fourth time since 2014, exercise Falcon Leap, served to honor the lives lost on both sides during Operation Market Garden. This year, approximately 750 soldiers from the U.S., the Netherlands, France, Britain, Poland, Germany and Belgium participated in the commemoration, September 17-22. Events included a simulation of the aerial assault by parachuting into the Netherlands just like the Allied soldiers did in September of 1944.

“Falcon Leap allows us to interact with our partner nations and cross train with them,” said Col. Pete Fechtmann, mission commander for the U.S. airborne operation during Falcon Leap, while waiting to board a plane for his first jump of the day. “But one of the main reasons is commemoration. We don’t want to forget what happened in history.”

Fechtmann said the ability to work together with partner nations stems from the memories of our greatest conflicts. Working together helps us share knowledge and experience with our allies, which includes enemies of our past, to build camaraderie for the future.

“There’s definitely a brotherhood to it, we all know what everyone goes through,” said Spc. Mark Freshour, 1-501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. “We have a deep understanding of what we do, there’s an airborne language. So even if we don’t speak the same language, speaking to a German [paratrooper] who doesn’t [know any] English, if I do something, he knows what it means. We’re speaking the same language in a sense.”

Freshour said the paratrooper’s language started with the soldiers who jumped during World War II, and participating in exercise Falcon Leap is a direct connection to his unit’s past and heritage. “It’s not just a normal jump,” said Freshour. “We’re actually getting to relive, in a sense, what the people who came before us came and did. We’re honoring them by doing the same jump they did.” The weather and jump conditions were very similar to what the paratroopers experienced in 1944, but Freshour said the biggest difference was that it was safe. The soldiers today aren’t facing gunfire or weeks of hard fighting ahead.

“The amount of obstacles they had to endure evokes a sense of pride and loss, and a sense of brotherhood,” said 1-501st Parachute Infantry Regiment Command Sergeant Major Joseph Hissong. “For me, personally, to know what those men went through gives me nothing but immense pride to be a part of this.”

During 1944, the 501st PIR was one unit that suffered the most casualties on the Waal River, more than 600 men said Hissong. He was honored to be able to attend the ceremony at the Dutch memorial bridge, built at the actual crossing site the soldiers used on September 20, 1944, and aptly named “De Oversteek,” the Dutch word for “the crossing.”

The 74th commemoration of Operation Market Garden with exercise Falcon Leap ended on a chilly fall morning to the sound of bagpipes during a ceremony at the drop zone in Ermelo. The last demonstration jump by the multinational coalition of paratroopers was watched by a crowd of thousands of Dutch citizens. The ceremony ended with remarks by the Mayor of Eindhoven, who emphasized the ideas that are kept alive during remembrances like this – freedom can not be taken for granted.

Translation Disclaimer

As a convenience to non-English speakers, some content on the U.S. European
Command website may be translated by selecting a different language on the
header. Except where otherwise noted, the language translation is performed
by Google Translate, a third-party online service, and subject to Google
Terms of Service and Privacy policies. Please note that Google Translate
uses computer programs to translate between languages and translations
cannot be guaranteed as exact or accurate. No liability is assumed by U.S.
European Command for any errors, omissions, or ambiguities in the
translations provided on this website. In addition, some website
applications, graphics or files cannot be translated, such as portable
document format (pdf) files. If there are questions about the accuracy of
the translated information, please refer to the English version of the
website.

;

Let us know what you think

We want to hear from you! The commander welcomes your comments and feedback.